Delia’s Kitchen opened in the latter half of 2010, and I just got around to going there a few days ago (so little time, so many places to eat).

I had read negative criticisms and passionate defenses of Delia’s on Yelp!

One of the negative criticism regarded service, and on that note, I have to say: the service at Delia’s is excellent, and that’s critically important. Like George’s (145 S. Oak Park) and a few other local places, Delia’s comes very close to being a commodity, competing with similar restaurants based on price and availability. Service is a critical differentiator, and at Delia’s, service was very friendly and attentive. The crew here is sincerely customer-oriented.

Opting for the Amish Greek Chicken, I was pleased to wait a little for it to be cooked – the menu claims, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, that the food here is cooked from scratch. When the chicken arrived, it was quite juicy and very clearly had not been pre-cooked and left to sit, waiting to be ordered. Amish chickens seem to be a little plumper than standard corporate farm birds, and my half-chicken was big, too much to actually eat at one sitting (no worries: I brought the breast home).

Though well cooked, the chicken was seasoned somewhat ham-fistedly with Greek spices and a fair quantity of salt in it. Now, I like liberally seasoned food and I’m a salt fiend, sprinkling the stuff on just about anything, from watermelon to pizza. But even I thought that areas of the dish were way too salty; others, not salty enough.

I was glad to see that Delia’s is using fresh vegetables (like broccoli and carrots), nothing seemed frozen, and it’s cool that they’re featuring balsamic vinegar and olive oil from Olive & Well (133 N. Oak Park).

For my first bites here, I was impressed with the effort but lukewarm about the execution of my Amish chicken. Delia’s Kitchen, however, deserves another visit, and I think they’re trying to serve a better grade of chow than one might expect; applause for that. I am particularly interested in the buckwheat cakes, an item that has been banished from menus everywhere (even International House of Pancakes!) – I love these moist, dark flapjacks and would return to Delia’s if only for those.